So, are we enjoying all the coverage of non-sports like badminton, diving, shooting a gun and sailing a boat?

I thought the opening night's show was fab. I was all ready to slate it on Twitter but even I had to admit it was great. American media saying that Kenneth Branagh was dressed as a "character from Dickens" was priceless.

Happy for Phelps too. He was very cool and gracious to the South African guy who beat him last night. Nice to see.

Jiff

08-01-2012, 02:51 PM

Yeah, I really liked the Opening too. Particularly the farmers, dancers rocking out and the Queen sky-dive thing. But what's up with her, does she ever smile? Atleast looking at the NBC TV shots, the rest of royalty didn't look like they were too impressed with the extravaganza either.

Good selections from McCartney: "and in the end" and Hey Jude. Hard to tell how it sounded at the stadium, but didn't look like many athletes were doing the "na na na na-na-na" despite Paul's coaxing.

We have 4 or 5 channels with games coverage. I wish the main channel, NBC, which covers the big events, would show more competitors to get a better idea of how much better the top athletes are. Too much bio and human interest time spent on the star Americans. For women's gymnastics all we saw were the five Americans (ad nauseum), three Russians and one Romanian. Similar coverage for diving.

Yeah, Phelps kind of blew the finish with his last stroke coming at the wrong time.

musicdoc

08-01-2012, 04:34 PM

didn't watch the opening ceremonies, therefore can't comment on that, but have been glued to the tube most nights since then, some random thoughts (since I'm not on facebook or twitter and most people quickly turn the other way when I approach, this is my outlet)

water polo: didn't we all play something similar as kids at the local city pool (kids dump)

Russian gymnast teammates: ouch, political correctness as not reached the Kremlin, did you see how the Ruskies stayed away and didn't console their fallen crying teammate. Cold.

Ally Raisman's parents: I think mom will need a good ice down after her daugher's events, I didn't know anyone could go through so many movements in a chair

Gabby: good for her, she's been through the mill and still looks and acts like a kid, and is performing admirably

Michael Phelps: what's up with the headphones? seriously, though, he seems to be taking it all in stride, realizing he peaked four years ago, I'm impressed with his demeanor

I always feel a let down after the swimming and gymnastics, usually by the time track and field rolls around, I'm spent.

I wouldn't mind if the basketball team lost. I am, however, still bitter over the controversial ending of the '72 basketball game between us and Russia. We were robbed big time. I'm surprised considering this is the 40th anniversary of that debacle, there isn't more talk about it. I think the Russians are making sure a lid stays on that mess.

Haggischomper

08-01-2012, 04:40 PM

NBC are a shower of ignorant cunts and the coverage was so bad I have given up until track and field next week. Hopefully, they don't fuck that up too.

Truscott

08-01-2012, 09:16 PM

It's Canuckistani-centric, but I believe CTV.ca is streaming the live coverage.

bobgordon

08-02-2012, 08:45 AM

I disagree with the opening ceremony. I didn't like it at all. I admit it was really spectacular, but what was the point of all that? Where was the sport there? I mean, I know you´re also supposed to introduce the city and the country but... industrial revolution! Really? And the NHS? :confused: The guy from the Internet? Sorry, I didn't get it. The parts weren't very well conected either (now a bit of industrial revolution, now a bit of james bond, now some pop tunes...). I didn't see the logic in there.

I missed the end, but I l liked the James Bond part and I found the Mr. Bean sketch quite funny but it made me realise that I missed Monty Phyton in there. They would have come up with something funny!

JoMama

08-02-2012, 09:40 AM

NBC's lame coverage aside, a couple days on the road with evenings capped off by being able to watch some of these events is better than fake reality shows any day of the week.
Watching the opening with kids; guessing where some of these countries are on the map, and joking that Syria's team was divided into two squads that hated each other was sort of fun... Sir Paul's bit was a joy, as was the Mr. Bean sketch.
I was happy for Mr. Phelps' getting his medals, though this seems to mean more to the statistics-watching crowd than to him. He likes to compete and surely placing near the top in a race isn't a "loss" by any stretch of the imagination, except perhaps to his mum.

on the beach 3

08-02-2012, 09:48 PM

We had a house full for the opening ceremony and some loved it and some like me thought likewise, it had moments of brilliance, I loved the Queen and Bond thing, and Macca was nice, as was the wonderful nod to the great rock acts that birthed in England. We absolutely love the Olympics, and we just returned a few weeks ago from London so we are naturally mesmerized again by this magnificent city. As far as the coverage on NBC, they took a leap in trying to provide as much " live " coverage as possible and at times it's paid off handsomely and at others is been rather staid. We still love to hunker down in the evening and tune in though, so I guess for us it's worthwhile.

Peace and Boat Drinks......

musicdoc

08-06-2012, 06:00 PM

perhaps I'm reading into his comments too much and perhaps am being overanalytical, but I got the sense that Haggy didn't care much for the NBC coverage the first week....so Haggy how are they doing with the track and field so far and don't try to be so guarded and veiled with your comments as you were about the first week

Calexico

08-07-2012, 03:27 PM

Seems American coverage has pretty much been a suckfest. Compared to the BBC I am sure it must be.

They have 26 tv channels, three radio stations and their online coverage. That's blanket in anyone's words!

Haggischomper

08-07-2012, 03:56 PM

perhaps I'm reading into his comments too much and perhaps am being overanalytical, but I got the sense that Haggy didn't care much for the NBC coverage the first week....so Haggy how are they doing with the track and field so far and don't try to be so guarded and veiled with your comments as you were about the first week

Was hoping with the recent Rover landing that they would send Lauer, Roker, Seacrest, Vieira and those other ditzy females to Mars to report on it. Good grief, taken collectively they ARE outer space. A huge vacuum of fading stars.

musicdoc

08-08-2012, 03:47 PM

NBC's response to Haggy's post:

so what you are saying is that the coverage is being done by 'stars'? very interesting, we at NBC are tickled pink by your change in thought.......

Jiff

08-08-2012, 11:21 PM

Seems American coverage has pretty much been a suckfest. Compared to the BBC I am sure it must be.

They have 26 tv channels, three radio stations and their online coverage. That's blanket in anyone's words!

Hmm, maybe that's why there're so many empty seats at some events. :)

One thing I don't like about NBC is that their prime time (prime events) 4 hours program is 8pm to midnight. My bed time is 11pm. Boo hoo. So I record 11 to midnight and watch the next evening, two days behind. Why not start at 7pm????

Jiff

08-08-2012, 11:24 PM

Was hoping with the recent Rover landing that they would send Lauer, Roker, Seacrest, Vieira and those other ditzy females to Mars to report on it. Good grief, taken collectively they ARE outer space. A huge vacuum of fading stars.

Yup. I wonder if the live broadcast signal from London reaches the Martians before the delayed prime time signal reaches my TV.

Jiff

08-10-2012, 11:01 PM

Might be pretty entertaining:

LONDON (AP) — The London Games are set to end in a blazing tribute to British pop and pizazz, with a closing ceremony that will see stars from the Spice Girls to The Who turn Olympic Stadium into a giant jukebox of musical hits.

Two weeks of sporting drama wrap up Sunday with what music director David Arnold has called "the greatest after-party in the world."

"If the opening ceremony was the wedding, then we're the wedding reception," Arnold told the Daily Telegraph — with everyone from the Pet Shop Boys to Annie Lennox and Fatboy Slim on hand to get people dancing.

Although organizers have tried to the ceremony under wraps, many details have leaked out in the British media — and some of the performers have let the cat out of the bag themselves

I DVR'd this last night and haven't watched it yet, but have already heard that NBC bumped the Who an hour (so I probably didn't tape it), and may have cut off Ray Davies.

I should have just watched the stream in the afternoon.

Jiff

08-13-2012, 01:00 PM

Yup, NBC disgusts me. Their cuts of the closing ceremony being a good example. Here we are, sitting through what I guess NBC likes, like all of that Brazil crap, the DJ and rapper, the David Bowie slide show and fashion models, several cover songs, including Jesse J and a couple guys crapping on the Bee Gees' We Should Be Dancing etc, then bam, 11pm - Animal Practice?

Where were the Who, Ray Davies singing Waterloo Sunset, Muse singing the Olympic song , the tribute to Kate Bush? I missed Costas saying the Who would be on later and didn't set my DVR for that. So NBC found it suitable to telecast the events until midnight every night, but not another hour to include the whole closing ceremony.

I did like a lot of what they did show. The performances in vehicles driving around the stadium was pretty cool, especiall the Spice Girls on the roofs. The human cannonball with Eric Idle was neat. Pet Shop Boys, Madness with Our House (in the middle of our street), the formation of John Lennon's head during Imagine, the light shows, George Michael's Freedom 90 (his other song got cut), Freddie Mercury, although Brian May's solos got tiresome and can't say much for Jesse J again.

What's up with Prince William having to go back to work and miss the ceremony? What's the point of being a Prince? :)

If the parts that were cut for TV were included in NBC's live stream, hopefull it will be re-streamed.

Calexico

08-13-2012, 02:17 PM

Worst event ending ever apart from that Hindenberg gathering.

It was bloody awful. For all the strung out, stream of consciousness, inspired mayhem of the opening ceremony this was the polar opposite. Abysmal.

It was like the worst and largest wedding disco ever. George Michael, Annie fucking Lennox, The Pet Shop Twats??

All we needed was Cyndi Lauper for a nap hand of 80's fuckery. Ugh!

I spent the whole night ripping it to shit on twitter and being hugely entertained by the vitriol on show there. :)

Haggischomper

08-13-2012, 11:27 PM

It was fucking shite. The hot, wet, steaming kind.

mystic_spiral_3

08-14-2012, 09:11 PM

Well, now I know what all Haggy's irritated Facebook posts were about Sunday night...

I was listening to music online and finishing up some stuff for work Sunday night.

Haggischomper

08-16-2012, 02:35 PM

It really was awful. Not helped by NBC cutting chunks again, I daresay, but you look at the legendary bands and music Britain gave the world and then you look at the drivel showcased on the closing ceremony... Ugh! Hadn't even heard half of them. Such a let down after the sheer brilliance of the opening ceremony. I will say the Lennon portion was very well done and emotional, easily outstripping McCartney's Hey Jude thing